I've been everywhere, man. Part 3

Andrew and I went to Washington D.C. for our one year anniversary. I had never been to D.C. before, so we hit all the highlights. We visited Arlington National Cemetery, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, the Smithsonian, natural history and air and space. We saw the Pentagon, we saw the FBI building, the Capital, the White House, and I think thats about it. The point is we saw it all! We also walked it all which I loved!

We also ate some great food. My two favorites were: district chophouse which is where we went for our anniversary dinner and then district of pi pizzeria. District of Pi Pizzeria was the best deep dish pizza I have ever had, actually its the only deep dish I have ever had. But, Andrew has been to Chicago and he said Pi was better! The even better part about this restaurant was the service was impeccable! Literally, the best waiter I have ever had at a restaurant. Andrew and I wanted to go hang out with our waiter after our dinner was over because he was so friendly and so good natured. He made our experience amazing! I had some friends from work go there after us and they said they had the same incredible service as well.

(At our anniversary dinner, District Chophouse.)

(Maybe silly, but I actually teared up a little bit when I saw this in person.)

(I forgot to mention, the cherry blossoms, they were so beautiful in person.)

Oh, and one more very special thing I forgot.  We went to the zoo, it was a great zoo, and it was free!  Actually, all the places we went were free for that matter.  But, at this zoo they had a very special little guy...

(PANDA!!!!!!!!  I love animals and fortunately my husband loves me for it [sigh].)

All in all, a great trip!  I highly recommend it to anyone who has not been to D.C.  And to be honest, I loved seeing all the sites that I had learned about in history books my entire life.  

For the 4th of July, Andrew and I headed to Atlanta, GA and met my parents there for several days.  I had never been to Atlanta before, but Andrew and I loved the city.  We liked the lay out, all they had to do, and not to mention we stayed in the Buckhead area which apparently is one of the nicest areas in Atlanta.  

One of my favorite things we did in Atlanta was the aquarium!  Wow, it was amazing.  They claimed to be the world's largest aquarium.  They had so many animals (again, animal lover right here!) and the exhibits were really well laid out.  

(This room was set up sort of like a movie theater.  I could have sat there all day and watched the animals.  Seriously, the way they move is magical- not to be cheesy.)

(WHALE SHARK!  Such graceful creatures in the water!)

(JELLIES!)

(Manta ray, he/she opened its mouth so wide, you could see straight in!)

(Does anyone else want to snuggle with a beluga?  They look so soft!)

We also went to the Coldplay concert while we were in Atlanta.  Wow, I have loved Coldplay f.o.r.e.v.e.r!  And say what you want about their music, I know everyone has their personal opinions.  But, they are FANTASTIC entertainers.  I love their music, but seeing them live was 10 billion times better than on a CD or radio (I am not exaggerating haha.)  They were so energetic and super creative with their music and performance.  Best concert I have ever been to, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals was a very close second.  

(Their lighting crew is killer!)

(Seriously, so good live!  If you love them, even like them, go see them live!  You won't regret it!)

My family and I also went to an Atlanta Braves game and then watched fireworks after.  What a great time!  I love going to baseball games, little league, high school, college, professional, love it all!  

(GREAT SEATS!)

Our final trip before we move back to Dallas was to Minnesota (another place I have never been.)  I promise I have traveled to all sorts of places, but apparently I didn't travel very much in the U.S. growing up. We went to Minnesota to visit some of Andrew's extended family.  I had never met them before because they live most of the year overseas.  So, it was a really meaningful trip for Andrew and I to make when we got the chance.  Minnesota was beautiful.  The air was fresh, apparently they have a really clean air, it wasn't just my imagination.  Everything was crisp and green.  And did I mention the weather??  Wow, people that live in Minnesota during the summer have it made!  Highs in the 80's, lows in the 60s!  Now, I would never want their winters, but I could definitely handle the summers.  It was a nice break from the heat and HUMIDITY in Knoxville.  {Random comment: I hate humidity, I can handle the heat, I'm a Texan, born and raised, but humidity is a whole other beast.  A beast I do not care for one bit.}  Anyways, Minnesota was lovely.  We had a fantastic time and all the people we encountered were so friendly.  

(We went to look at some petroglyphs.)

(Sunset on the lake.  One word, relaxing.)

(Oh, just having a picnic.)

(Jungle gym tag, anyone?  For the record, those kids ran circles around us.)

Well, this is the end of our travels for now!  Andrew and I feel so blessed to have been able to travel so much this year.  We love traveling, so any chance we get, we take it!  Hope you enjoyed the pictures.  I added a bunch because I rather look at pictures then read lots and lots and lots of writing.  Oh wait, I gave you both, you're welcome ;)

More to come later, A+A

I've been everywhere, man. Part 2

And now for our trips during the spring.  The first one we went  on was to North Carolina to see the Biltmore with our very wonderful and dedicated friends, Rach and Brad.

(Andrew and I on the way to the Biltmore.)

(Rach and Brad- Rach was pregnant with sweet Briley in this pic.)

The Biltmore was incredible!  There was so much detail to look at and it was worth the trip.  Plus, what trip wouldn't be great with Andrew, Rach, and Brad! 

Our next trip was to San Francisco, Mendocino, and Sonoma, CA! This was a family trip with my parents and it was SO MUCH FUN! The entire week I was in a constant state of full! There were so many great food places to try in California! The first night we stayed in San Francisco and the next morning we toured around the town and walked all of the piers.

(Andrew and I on one of the piers.)

Then we drove up to Mendocino at the end of that day!  My heart was in love.  It is one of the most quaint little towns I have ever seen!  And the view from our bed and breakfast was to die for.  The California coast is so beautiful!  I had been to California before, but only the L.A. area and man, I was missing out.  I am in love with northern Carlifornia.  The combination of ocean on one side and the forest with gigantic redwoods on the other side is jaw dropping.  It was so peaceful to take all of the natural beauty in while we were there.  If you ever get the opportunity to visit Mendocino I HIGHLY recommend it!  There are so many outdoor things to do, we heard there are some great Pinot Noirs, you can go whale watching, there is a wonderful, seriously wonderful, restaurant there called Patterson's pub (best fish and chips I have EVER had,) Thanksgiving Coffee Co, and North Coast Brewing Co is right up the highway, need I say more people??

(My parents in the Muir Woods national park.)

(The view from our bed and breakfast at sunset.  Ugh, my heart gushes over that coast!)

(See, the whole town looks like this, precious!)

(Sammy, he was at one of the wineries.  And he happens to be my dream dog, old english sheep dog!)

After having some fun in Mendocino, we headed to Sonoma and Napa, CA.  Wow, what a great time we had there too!  I say this about every vacation my mom plans, but this was THE BEST VACATION EVER!  The first thing we did was go to a wine tasting room called Vintner's Collective.  This was a great way to try wines from several wineries in the area rather than just one. 

(Ready for our tasting!)

Another really fantastic winery we visited was Hall.  This place was a serious operation and they spared no expense on the decorating.  It had a lot of really unique and one of a kind details. 

(This is all the wine they have aging.)

(Quite the chandelier, right?)

(At Schramsberg, tasting Champagne that been aging in a cave.)

The final piece to the trip was going to Fremont Diner.  I had read about this restaurant in Country Living and knew I had to try it.  It is a "farm to table" style restaurant, so everything is very very fresh!  It was well worth it, I would recommend it to anyone.  Not to mention, the best huevos rancheros I have ever had! Did I say ever?  EVER!!!  Please please please GO!

(Such a cute restaurant, remember, FREMONT DINER, Sonoma, CA.)

Bonus to the trip, our flight got canceled in San Francisco, so we got to reroute our flight to have a layover for about 4 days in Dallas, what a blessing!  An answer to prayer in an unexpected way.  California was a really long post, but it was such a great trip there was no way to leave any details out.  :)

The next trip we went on was Washington D.C.

I've been everywhere, man.

When Andrew and I moved to Knoxville one of our goals was to travel!  When you live in Texas, it takes forever to drive OUT of Texas.  So, when we moved to Knoxville, we made a goal to travel to lots of different states because they were so accessible by car.  We did fly to some of the places and those trips were well worth it!

Our first trip was to Ft. Collins, CO to see our friends, Sean and Heather, get married!  Ft. Collins had such a fun downtown/town square area.  Fantastic restaurants, cute boutiques, and quaint coffee shops.  Sean and Heather's wedding was beautiful!  It was outside in November, which sounds cold, but we had blankets!  It was sooo pretty!  The venue was the Tapestry house and there was snow on the ground and in the trees.  What a lovely wedding!  They also did the wedding in the morning, so the reception had breakfast food, mimosas, and bloody Marys.  It was a one of a kind wedding and I am so glad we were able to make it!

(The wedding venue, see what I mean? Gorgeous!)

Another fun thing about the trip was watching the hogs game together!  There were many Arkansas Alums at this wedding and we all went to a pizza place, got our own room, and yelled as loud as we wanted while we watched the game!  There is a special bond among hog fans and I am glad to be one! WOO PIG SOOIE!

(The groom is the one hunkered down under all the crazies.)

(All of us after the rehearsal dinner.)



Our next trip was to Olathe, KS for Thanksgiving with Andrew's extended family.  It was so much fun!  There were lots and lots of people!  We played games, watched movies, ate tons of food, and had plenty of chatting time!  I have never snacked so much in my life, the Bennetts know how to snack in Olathe is all I can say!  One of my favorite events from the week was girl time.  All the girls painted nails and watched the help (if you have not read this book or watched this movie, I HIGHLY suggest doing both) together. While the boys were in the basement watching cowboys vs. aliens.  Needless to say, each group was very satisfied with their movie choice in completely different ways! 

I love Thanksgiving with huge groups of family, its always a great time!

Over Christmas we went to Henry, TN.  This is a trip that we usually go on twice a year.  It was relaxing as usual.  Great food, great family time!

To be continued with "Spring Travels."

Yours truly, A+A

One Year in Knoxville: The year of countless blessings

Andrew and I have been living in Knoxville for about a year now and our time is rapidly closing to an end.  I thought I would post a LONG entry about some things we have learned, fun trips we have been on, and people and places we will never forget!

(This picture was taken at 5am before we were moving; we are not 5am people.)

We have been in Knoxville, so that Andrew could pursue his dream of going to medical school.  He was enrolled in what is called a post-baccalaureate program, which is for people who already have a degree in something else, but want to go back to a medical related field.  There is only a handful of these programs across the U.S. and Carson Newman College was the one we chose, more importantly, the one God set out for us. 

Carson Newman has been such a blessing to us.  Andrew received sound teaching that prepared him to take his MCAT, he received great encouragement from fellow believers (his teachers), and worked harder this year than I have ever seen him work at school.  (Side note... there is something very attractive about a great work ethic!)

While I have been here, I have been working at a Pediatric Otolaryngology office (Ear, Nose, and Throat surgeons) that has been both challenging and wonderful.  I have made some life long friends there who I will be sad to leave.  The most amazing part about this job is that GOD PROVIDED it for us.  I had been looking for jobs and was feeling so discouraged.  So Andrew, lovingly started looking for me. Within minutes, he found this job and told me to just give them a call and see if I could get an interview.  Well sure enough, I got an interview that next Monday (a week after we had been here) and then began work the following Monday.  TWO WEEKS and I had a job.  God. Is. Good.

Everyone told us that getting away from everything and everyone for our first year of marriage would be great for us.  Well, let me second them and say, "Absolutely!"  It has been such a blessing to be away from all of our friends, family, and comfort zones for our first year of marriage.  Andrew and I learned to depend on one another and God.  I knew how to depend on God before we were married, but depending on him as a couple was a wonderful new experience.  Andrew and I have grown so much in our first year of marriage.  It has been a year filled with joy, challenges as well, but those were quickly turned into joy for us as well.  Another lesson Andrew and I are leaving with is how to "play together."  By this I mean, when we first got here, we did not have any friends to call to hang out if we were bored.  We had no family or friends to go visit for a weekend.  We had to entertain ourselves, and we had to do that with little to no money.  For anyone that didn't already know, we are living "The poor newly wed dream."  But, it has made our marriage that much sweeter.  Andrew and I know how to just be content with one another, reading books, playing games, doing anything you can think of that is free.  I know Andrew and I have only been married about a year, but it has been a very sweet year; a very challenging year; but most importantly a very blessed year.  And I will cherish it with all the other years the Lord gives us together. 

(This was us on our one year anniversary trip to Washington D.C.)

Now, our year in Knoxville would not be complete if I didn't mention all of our wonderful friends and family at home.  Andrew and I were so blessed to get to talk to several of our closest friends on a weekly basis and our family as well.  We had wonderful friends and family come to visit us. (Andrew's sister, Amy, drove about 9 or 10 hrs on her own to come see us.) We feel so loved by all of you.  Thanks for continuing to invest in us even when we are hundreds of miles away.  This year was increasingly blessed because of all of you.  And I cannot express enough gratitude for your love and support ALL THE TIME!  I am fairly certain that Andrew and I have the best family and friends that anyone can find.  You could search the ends of the earth and you would be hard pressed to find  friends and family more faithful.  We love you and are thrilled about coming home to all of you!

Something that is currently going on with us right now, is that we are waiting to find out Andrew's MCAT score!  We find out sometime at the end of July!  We are excited!  We know that no matter what the outcome of the score is, we can praise God!  He knew Andrew's score before we even knew Andrew was going to be applying for medical school; he knew before we were married; and he knew before Andrew was ever born.  We feel comforted and protected that God knows the score and has a plan mapped out for that score!  Praise Him!  Also, thank you to everyone who sent in support and encouragement to Andrew while he was preparing for the MCAT.  I had asked all of Andrew's family and friends to send a text, email, call, or mail to him with encouragement and prayers to keep him going on his studying!  And let me tell you... THE SUPPORT FLOODED IN!  Andrew got something just about every day I am fairly certain!  THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Well, Knoxville it has been a wonderful year with you!  You will always hold a special place in my heart!  Thank you for all the good times!  Thanks for providing such an exciting adventure for us!

Another post coming soon about all the places we have gotten to travel this year and some of my "favorite things" in Knoxville!

(Andrew and I at the Smoky Mountain National Park.)

Sincerely, A+A